"Crew to be forbidden to make eye contact with Artist AT ALL TIMES," reads the contract of one of the talent judges on the smash TV show Project Icon. In Elimination Night, we get a peek at the deliciously outrageous machinations—the ego clashes, the meltdowns, the cover-ups—that go on behind the scenes of the talent shows we’ve become addicted to.

Our guide is the coolly observant Sasha, who—like the heroines of The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries—has a peon’s-eye view of a glitzy world that both repels and fascinates her. This hilarious take on talent in the age of celebrity culture will change the way you watch American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.